'Crazy' that county has no centres for autistic adults

by This is derbyshire - Evening Telegraph

THE families of autistic adults have called on the council to set up a specialist centre offering care and education in Derbyshire.

After leaving school, families say young autistic adults struggle to get more care because there are a limited number of centres outside the county and none run by the local authority.

As a result, many parents are forced to quit work and care for their children, who need help with everyday living.

Even those who do get places have to go outside the county and find funding to cover annual fees of up to £200,000.

Now parents of current and former pupils at the Holbrook Centre for Autism, the county's only specialist school for autistic children, run by Derbyshire County Council, have called for the area to have its own centre for adults.

Next year, the council will take over responsibility from the Government for providing adult care.

Father Steve Radford has called for change after spending two years trying to find help for his son, Matthew.

He faced difficulties getting funding because of Matthew's challenging behaviour and, even after getting the money, he struggled to find anywhere with the specialist care he needed.

Matthew now attends a centre in Rotherham that costs £222,000 a year, where he gets 24-hour care.

Mr Radford said: "I've always thought it was crazy that in the whole of the county, we have one autism school and nothing else.

"It's no surprise that, as a result, these young people are falling into a void once they leave school.

"Local provision would create jobs in the county and mean that youngsters and their parents don't have to travel so far."

Dave Welford's son, Lenny, is 17 and still has two more years left at Holbrook but Mr Welford has already begun visiting colleges because he knows how long the process can take.

The 46-year-old, of Dalbury Lees, near Brailsford, said: "What we want is a residential facility nearby.

"The only option is that you ship your child to places outside Derbyshire and they stay there all week and become a stranger to you."

Caroline Bell, deputy head of the Holbrook school, is trying to fill the gap in the care and education system by setting up a facility for adults, to offer school-leavers the chance to continue their education by running a garden centre and cafe.

She said: "The 19-year-olds are not ready to live and work independently but neither should that mean that they should be looking forward to an adult life where they're at home all the time."

A spokeswoman for the council said it would be responsible for funding adult autistic care from April, 2010.

She was unable to confirm whether any plans for a centre were being considered.

She said: "We have put in place developments which have improved the scope and quality of support available across the county."

Source: http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/ne...l/article.html

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